Many think that The Beatles' “Please Please Me” album, released March 22, 1963, was there first album. But, there is another, little-known German album which predates it, produced by Bert Kaempfert!

The story of how Bert Kaempfert came to record the Beatles has been told many times, so here is a condensed version:
The Beatles were first recorded by Kaempfert for Bert Kaempfert Produktion in Hamburg on June 22, 1961. For this recording they were the backing group for Tony Sheridan for an album that would be released on Polydor. The Beatles played on "My Bonnie", "The Saints", "Why", "Nobody's Child", and "Take Out Some Insurance". There were also two songs performed by the Beatles without Sheridan: "Ain't She Sweet" and their original, "Cry for a Shadow" (originally titled "Beatle Bop"). These two were used for the Beatles first German album a year later.

In early 1962, manager Brian Epstein discussed the Beatles recording an entire album with Kaempfert, agreeing to record 12 songs. Kaempfert would use the previously recorded "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry for a Prellie" (the song received yet another name change) to make the total of songs for the album 14 songs. Brian Epstein financed it himself, specifying that it be a German-only release. Bert Kaempfert intended to market the album as "Prellie-Twist" music!

Right: Producer Bert Kaempfert proudly holding a press-testing of the final album!

On May 28, 1962, the Beatles again entered Hamburg's Friedrich-Ebert-Halle. Again, Kaempfert was producing, with Karl Hinze as engineer. The 12 songs were recording in one day. That day The Beatles also recorded 2 songs for Tony Sheridan: "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River". Now that a total of 14 completed Beatles songs were in the can, the running order for the album was:

"Bitte Preludin Mich (Please Preludin Me)"
"Cry For a Prellie"
"To Know Her Is to Love Her"
"Hello Little Girl"
"Some Other Guy"
"Love of the Loved"
"Bésame Mucho"
"Searchin'"
"The Sheik of Araby"
"Memphis, Tennessee"
"Three Cool Cats"
"Sure to Fall (in Love with You)"
"Like Dreamers Do"
"Money (That's What I Want)"

Through Bert Kaempfert Produktion, the album was to be released on Polydor on 22 June. Titled, "Bitte Preludin Mich mit Cry For a Prellie und 12 anderen Leidern" ("Please Preludin Me with Cry For a Prellie and 12 other songs"), the album only got as far as a handful of test pressings on the German Polydor Records label. It is now a collector's item.

DISCLAIMER: Yes, this is yet another PARODY!